Public presentation of the ICE L before the start of operation
posted on 19th Oct 2025 03:54
On 17 October 2025, Deutsche Bahn presented one of its Talgo 230 non-traction multiple units (NMU) to the public at Berlin Ostbahnhof. As the operator states, “the ICE L is the first building block in the implementation of the Agenda for Satisfied Customers on the Rail (Agenda für zufriedene Kunden auf der Schiene)”.
Evelyn Palla, CEO of DB, said: “We want to get people excited about our trains. With the new ICE L, we are clearly committed to greater comfort and reliability for our passengers. Every new train contributes to stable operation. That is why we have consistently modernized our fleet in recent years and purchased many new high-speed trains.”
Editor’s note: From a technical point of view, the term high-speed train is usually understood to mean trains with a speed of 250 km/h and above, so the Talgo 230 does not actually meet this parameter.
Carlos de Palacio y Oriol, Talgo's Executive Chairman, said: "Today begins a new chapter in our relationship with DB. I can assure you that we will prioritize all our energy and resources to be a close, efficient, loyal and reliable partner. All this to ensure that the operation of the ICE L trains built by Talgo will be success in the near future. These are low-floor trains that allow barrier-free access along the entire length. This cleverly meets the new requirements for sustainable mobility."
Editorial note II: The original plan to start international operation of 17 rakes on the Berlin - Amsterdam route in December 2023 is not mentioned. Also omitted is that the Talgo-built Class 105 locomotives have not yet been approved.
The start of operations is possible thanks to the fact that on 8 August 2025 the ERA issued an approval for operation for six types of Talgo 230 cars, from which ICE L NMUs are assembled. However, the area of use is only Germany, with the exception of the Köln - Frankfurt HSL and difficult gradient lines.
In response to our inquiry, DB further stated that the delivery of nine more trains is planned for 2026 and that final negotiations are underway with Talgo to reduce the number of ordered trains from the original 79 to 60.
The 17-car NMUs with a length of 256 m and a tare weight of 406 t will be deployed gradually from 14 December 2025, initially only in domestic traffic; the plan is to use four sets, which will be hauled by Vectrons, for now only in pulled mode in both directions, because the ICE L driving trailers are not homologated for push mode. The first services will run on the Berlin - Köln route, namely ICE 1548 (departure Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 07.10 h) and ICE 1055 (departure Köln at 15.36 h).
From 1 May 2026, the ICE L will run on the Berlin - Hamburg - Westerland (Sylt) route, and from 11 July 2026 on the other tourist routes Frankfurt/M - Giessen - Westerland (Sylt), Köln - Münster - Westerland (Sylt) and Dortmund - Oberstdorf. Later, the ICE L will also run to Amsterdam, København and Wien, as soon as "all the necessary conditions are met".
As the photos show, in addition to barrier-free access, the ICE L offers:
- a new interior design with new colors and materials plus changing lighting depending on the time of day,
- 562 seats from a new development, which more than 1,600 people participated in; all seats have power outlets,
- windows with improved mobile phone signal transmission,
- new reservation displays with colored LEDs, providing clear information about seat reservations,
- equipment for families with children - with 46 seats, the ICE L offers the most space for families in the entire ICE fleet.
